My Virtual Wife From my Phone Has Come to See Me - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: The First Day of School

The Rut Period… what on earth is that?

Is this the “special gift” the system mentioned?

Qi Ying curiously tapped on the status [Rut Period], but it was unresponsive.

As she exited her character interface, a countdown labeled [15] appeared prominently in the top right corner of the screen. Qi Ying squinted at it and did some quick mental math, realizing it likely corresponded to the days until Xing Xiaochu’s birthday.

Is this how the game gives birthday reminders now? Qi Ying was a walking question mark. Still, she didn’t dwell on it, assuming it was just a simple timer.

…

In real life, Qi Ying spent her time “eating popcorn” while watching Xia Ruoxin and Shi Yu bicker. In the game, however, it was finally the first day of school for Xing Xiaochu.

Since it was the big day, Qi Ying logged in early. As she stepped out of her room, she saw Xiaochu already dressed in her blue-and-white school uniform, watering the cat grass on the balcony.

The grass was a vibrant green, looking fresh and lively under the spray of the watering can. Xiaochu’s hair was tied in a high ponytail that swayed like a happy pony’s tail as she moved.

“Xiaochu,” Qi Ying said with a smile, taking in the cozy scene. “Why are you up so early? School doesn’t start for another hour.”

Xiaochu turned around, her eyes wide with surprise to see Qi Ying awake.

“Sister, why are you up so early too?” Xiaochu set down the watering can and ran to Qi Ying’s side. “Do you have to leave early today?”

Xiaochu’s black bangs were a bit messy against her forehead. Qi Ying reached out, gently smoothing them with her fingers. “I’m not working today. I woke up early to walk you to school.”

Walk her to school?

Xiaochu’s dark eyes sparkled. Since her mother used to take her when she was a little girl, it had been a very long time since anyone had offered to walk her to school.

“I can go by myself,” Xiaochu said, pointing toward the school visible from the window. “It’s so close, Sister. You don’t have to.”

But Qi Ying placed her hands on the girl’s shoulders. “If I say I’m walking you, I’m walking you. Don’t refuse me. Now, what do you want for breakfast? I’ll make it!”

Xiaochu looked at her curiously. “Sister, do you know how to cook?”

Qi Ying felt slightly underestimated. “I’m an adult. How hard can cooking be?”

She rolled up her sleeves and headed for the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she realized she hadn’t looked inside in a long time; Xiaochu had been doing all the shopping and cooking lately. She honestly had no idea what was in there.

Xiaochu stood behind her, tilting her head. She looked at the fridge, then at Qi Ying, and whispered, “There are frozen dumplings.”

Qi Ying shot her a side-eye and said righteously, “How could I let you eat frozen dumplings on your first day?”

With that, she opened the freezer and pulled out two frozen scallion pancakes.

If nothing else, Qi Ying could handle scallion pancakes. You just toss them in a pan, add some lettuce, a fried egg, and some ketchup. Easy!

Seeing Qi Ying’s confidence, Xiaochu didn’t dampen her spirits. The two crowded into the kitchen together. Xiaochu was in charge of washing the lettuce and handing over ingredients, while Qi Ying worked up a storm like a head chef.

However, while Qi Ying was a master at making clothes, her cooking experience was clearly lacking. By the time they actually sat down to eat, they were almost late.

Xiaochu sat on the entryway bench, frantically putting on her shoes. Qi Ying ran over and shoved a carton of warm milk into her hand. “Drink your milk.”

“I’m going to be late, Sister,” Xiaochu protested with a pained expression.

Qi Ying pushed the milk into her hand and knelt down. “I’ll put your shoes on. You just focus on drinking.”

Xiaochu: “?”

Looking down, Xiaochu saw Qi Ying holding her white sneakers—the ones Qi Ying had bought her at the mall recently. They were pristine and beautiful, even the laces were snow-white.

Initially, Xiaochu thought they were too white and would get dirty easily, but what girl could refuse a pair of beautiful white shoes? She had decided to take very good care of them.

Now, Qi Ying was half-kneeling on the floor, holding Xiaochu’s slender ankle to guide her foot into the shoe. Xiaochu clutched her milk, stunned. By the time Qi Ying finished tying the laces, she looked up to see Xiaochu hadn’t taken a single sip.

“Drink up, or you really will be late,” Qi Ying urged.

Xiaochu snapped out of it, her face flushing crimson. She tried to pull her other bare foot back, whispering, “Sister, I can put on my own shoes.”

“Stop talking.” Qi Ying grabbed Xiaochu’s calf, pulled her foot back out, and continued her work.

Xiaochu felt the spots where Qi Ying’s hands touched her ankle and calf burning hot. She watched, dazed, as Qi Ying finished the second shoe.

Qi Ying stood up and, seeing the milk still untouched, gave her a playful glare. Since it was just a carton, Qi Ying grabbed Xiaochu’s backpack and ushered the girl out the door.

In the elevator, Qi Ying watched Xiaochu finish her milk. The girl’s face stayed red for some reason; she kept her head down and wouldn’t even look at Qi Ying.

Once out of the elevator, they started power-walking. Qi Ying’s long legs meant she was soon ahead. She turned back to see the girl huffing and puffing to keep up and couldn’t help but laugh, reaching out to grab Xiaochu’s hand.

“A bit faster,” Qi Ying said with a grin. “Or we really will be late.”

Xiaochu felt her wrist gently enveloped in warmth, followed by a surge of strength pulling her forward. At first, her steps were clumsy, but soon she was running through the streets alongside Qi Ying.

The silhouette of the person in front of her was bright, her long hair flying in the wind like a bird in flight.

Even though passersby stared, for the first time, Xiaochu didn’t feel self-conscious or lost. She had Qi Ying with her. This realization caused a strange sensation to well up in her chest—one that made her feel flustered, yet incredibly safe.

A fifteen-minute walk took them only five minutes of running. At the school gate, the crowd of students had thinned out. Qi Ying patted Xiaochu’s back. “Do you remember how to get to your classroom?”

Xiaochu nodded.

Qi Ying smiled and rubbed the girl’s head. “You need more exercise. Go on in. I’ll pick you up after school.”

Xiaochu checked the time and realized she had to move. She waved. “I’m going to school now, Sister!”

Qi Ying waved back, watching her enter the school grounds. She waited until Xiaochu was inside the building before turning to leave. She had taken the day off to deal with record labels and buy fabric for more clothes.

However, she realized they needed a vehicle. Walking was too slow. She decided to look for a car, or at least a scooter—anything was better than just legs.

…

Meanwhile, inside the school, Xiaochu checked the room number and cautiously stepped into the classroom.

Since she was a bit late, most students were already seated. People glanced at her but quickly went back to their conversations. Most of the students knew each other from previous years. Since the teacher hadn’t assigned seats yet, everyone just sat wherever they liked.

Xiaochu didn’t know anyone. She smelled the scents of the students, noticing most were Betas. Aside from herself, there were only a few Alphas and Omegas.

Too shy to greet anyone, she saw an empty seat and moved to put her bag down, but the person nearby said, “That seat is taken.”

Xiaochu jumped. “Sorry, I didn’t know.” The student just sniffed the air, smelling something on her, and stayed silent.

Xiaochu tried a few more spots. Finally, in the second-to-last row, she found a seat that seemed free. She asked the people nearby; they looked at the seat, didn’t say anything, and some even shared a secret smile. Xiaochu took that as a “yes.”

She sat down and began organizing her stationery and textbooks.

The school bell rang. The classroom remained noisy as students swapped stories about their summer breaks. Xiaochu sat quietly, playing with her pen, waiting for the teacher.

But the teacher didn’t arrive first. Her desk mate did.

The noisy room suddenly went silent as someone walked in. Xiaochu sat up straight, thinking it was the teacher, only to see a tall girl with a streak of green-dyed hair enter the room.

The girl wore her uniform sloppily, her jacket tied around her waist. Her eyes scanned the room before she walked straight toward Xiaochu.

She stopped right in front of the desk.

Xiaochu gripped her pen, looking up nervously. Had she offended this person?

Before she could think, the girl kicked Xiaochu’s desk. The force sent Xiaochu’s pen flying, hitting the floor with a sharp clack.

“Is this your seat?” the girl asked.

Xiaochu turned pale and stood up immediately. “I… I just sat here randomly, I didn’t know it was yours…”

The girl gave her a side-eye, snorted, and pushed past her to take the inner seat by the window.

Xiaochu stood there, frozen.

The girl looked impatient. Leaning back against the desk behind her, she frowned at Xiaochu. “Sit down. What? Do I have to personally invite you to be my desk mate?”